GC-MS Characterization and Phytochemical Determination of Buchholzia coriacea Seeds: Insights into Its Ethnomedicinal Potential

Abstract

Buchholzia coriacea seeds are widely used in African traditional medicine for the management of various ailments, earning the plant the common name "wonderful kola." This study evaluated the quantitative phytochemical composition and GC–MS profile of the ethanolic extract of B. coriacea seeds to identify its major bioactive constituents and provide chemical evidence supporting its ethnomedicinal use. Standard phytochemical methods and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) were employed for the analyses. Quantitative phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of tannins (7.12%), alkaloids (3.26%), saponins (2.41%), phenolics (1.93%), and flavonoids (1.23%), with tannins being the predominant phytochemical. GC–MS analysis identified eleven volatile and semi-volatile compounds, of which cis-9-octadecenoic acid (26.84%), 2-methyl-pyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid (24.30%), and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (17.97%) were the major constituents. Published literature indicates that many of these compounds are associated with antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective activities. The diversity of the identified phytochemicals and GC–MS constituents suggests that the medicinal properties of B. coriacea seeds may result from the combined action of multiple bioactive compounds. This study provides chemical evidence supporting the traditional use of B. coriacea seeds and identifies them as a promising source of bioactive secondary metabolites for further pharmacological and phytochemical investigations